>> there is a president leaving hawaii and now he and congress have to figure out what to do about the upcoming fiscal cliff. >> we are taking it outside, this is the roof cam from downtown san francisco. we are still lit up over this and it's as the skyline. we are enjoying clear skies and the mergers are in the 40's. dry, sunny conditions into the afternoon. we will continue to see mostly clear skies as we head into tonight. it is kind of cold out there, out 40 in vallejo and fairfield. oakland and san francisco coming in at 47 degrees. we're expecting mainly low 50s today we'll talk about how much rain we are expecting coming up in my next report. >> we continue to look at light traffic at bay area bridges. we have just a bit of a delay in the left-hand cassoulet and likely associated with the shift change with toll takers. the east bay and south bay peninsula still have light traffic on the freeways. >> the time is 6:01 a.m. and one person is that after an officer involved shooting in walnut creek. will tran is live on the same. >> good morning i just finished talking to the wa

, no contact with the capers and no request for ransom. >> hawaii's senator daniel enna-way has died. he died of respiratory complications and washington area hospitals. if the 88 year old was the longest serving senator. he spent 50 years in the senate and was a medal of honor recipient. according to be in na wheys office his last word was " aloha". >> we will be right back. >> in the wake of the deadly connecticut elementary school shooting, we are hearing more stories of courage and heroism. gene rosen lives near the school in newtown. friday morning, before anyone knew what had happened, he discovered six terrified children in a school bus driver on the front lawn. it rosen invited them into his home. he describes what happened next. >> when the kids stated that they could not go back because their teacher is dead and bay could not go back. i could not accept that. i just kept listening to them and when they talk more one of them stated that it was a big gun and a small gun. they stated that there was blood, and there was blood. i prayed. >> the teacher was 27 year- old vicotoria

this is president obama leading hawaii and now everyone is going to try to reach a deal on the fiscal cliff. >> we are taking a live look here at our mt. tam cam. you can see it shaking around. my favorite shot of the morning with relatively clear conditions. we have high clouds up above but no issues with visibility. today's forecast, expect sunshine and dry and pleasant weather. we'll have some changes and introduce some showers into the forecast which could continue into saturday morning. it looks like we'll be drive by sunday. satellite and radar shows a high pressure is in control for now. we have changes to talk about in my next report. >> speaking of walking you could probably walk across the toll plaza without being hit this morning. traffic is light and no delays coming out of the macarthur maze. east bay freeways are running much lighter than usual. we're still looking at under 25 minutes drive time from the bottle to the golden gate bridge. >> a developing story and walnut creek where there is an officer involved shooting and ended with a suspect being cleat killed. will tr

is cutting his holiday vacation in hawaii short. and will return to washington tomorrow. house and senate members are expected to reconvene tomorrow as well. without a budget agreement, automatic tax increases for everyone and deep spending cuts will be triggered in the new year. the main dispute continues to be over taxes. >> in national news. dallas cowboys nose tackle josh brent has been formally indicted on a charge of intoxication manslaughter. for the crash that killed a teammate. brent was arrested earlier this month after police say he flipped his car while speeding though a neighborhood in suburban dallas. brent survived the crash. but his friend and teammate. practice squad member jerry brown. died at a hospital. intoxication manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. no court dates have been set. >> right now parts of the country are dealing with the aftermath of a severe storm system that is being blamed for at least six deaths. and tonight. we have dramatic new video of a major tornado that ripped through mobile alabama last night. >> it is right th

obama is in hawaii. >> i'm stuck here in washington americans from showing more money to uncle sam next year. the gauche nations between white house and house speaker speaker boehner fell apart. negotiations between the white house and house eager .peaker boehner fell apart the president said that he is to working on a smaller deal avoid the fiscal cliff. >> the president is making changes when it comes to his inauguration. this time there will only be o official balls. there'll be a concert honoring .he lee terry families saturdaye held on before inauguration. out of egypt, how millions e voted on the disputed constitution. also, this cruise ship is isn't beingto italy m.rubbed from top to botto >> staring up controversy in virginia. breaking news out of egypt tonight. the constitution has received a majority of yes from more than 70%. the results were posted on the muslim's brotherhood website. was about 8ut million people. official results will not be announced for several days. taking a look at stories -- aning around the nation destroyed a home. used forte was being heat. that

red-eye trip from hawaii to washington. when he arrives on thursday, it's right back to budget negotiations with the fiscal cliff deadline less than a week away. >> reporter: as the president wrapped up his vacation, federal workers trickled back into the nation's capital. the only people who can avert the fiscal cliff, members of the house and senate, have not returned. and in just six days, a 2% payroll tax is set to expire, along with the bush-era tax cuts, shrinking the average worker's paycheck in 2013 by about $1,500. long-term unemployment benefits for about 2 million jobless americans are also set to expire, and $110 billion worth of spending cuts to domestic and defense programs will kick in, forcing layoffs in the public and private sector. if congress doesn't act, all the cuts and new taxes will squish the economy back into a mild recession by mid-2013. the impact of some of these new cuts and taxes wouldn't be felt immediately on january 1st because the irs and other agencies didn't expect it to come to this. it could be a few weeks before workers see more money bei

, linda so, abc2 news. >>> the baltimore ravens will be well represented at the pro bowl in hawaii. they were announced last night. now the ravens sending six players. ray rice, marshal yanda. leach, haloti ngata and ed reed and jacoby jones. the game will be played january 27th in the meantime, the ravens are getting ready to take on bengals in their last regular season game of 2012. on sunday, the purple and black clinched the afc's northern division title. that means the ravens will have one home playoff game. tickets for that game go on sale tomorrow morning. >>> 5:34 right now. taking a look at the stories around the nation. a community of webster, new york is coming together mourning the loss of two men who spent their lives saving others and they did it as volunteers. ♪ in the snow, hundreds of people attended a candle light vigil honoring two of the fallen firefighters. michael chiapperini and tomasz kaczowka. now the two firefighters were killed by a convicted felon on christmas eve. the community also prayed for the two firefighters who were hurt in the deadly ambush at

confidence that brian's appointment is in the best interest of the party the state of hawaii and the nation. >> he was aboard air force one with president obama who has been vacationing in hawaii. he is expected to be sworn in lart today. >> it is the next step in the long healing process for the people of newtown connecticut. the town moving forward with plans for a permanent memorial honoring the 26 victims of the sandy hook massacre. all of the flowers letters photos and teddy bears will be turned into soil and blocks to be used atz the foundation of a future memorial. dozens of people singing mazing grace as they remembered the two firefighters murdered in western new york. ♪ i once was lost but now am found ♪ >> that community coming together to honor fallen heros. the two men were shot and killed during an ex-con's christmas eve ambush. for the first time we are also hearing from those who survived the attack some firefighters. a joint statement offered the pair's gratitude for all of the prayers they have gotten. doctors have upgraded both of their conditions to satisfacto

it's time for that. take it away. >> aloha, hawaii. the president is on his way back to d.c. where for him it's about playing small ball with most members of congress still in their home district, speaker boehner put that ball in the senate's court. harry reid tossed it right back. are we looking at another lost day in the negotiations? hitching a right on air force one, the new senator from hawaii and it's not what we expected it to be. here we go again. the president in washington and another deadline. secretary geithner warns we will hit the debt ceiling even before we tumble over the fiscal cliff. good morning from washington. it is thursday, december 27th. this is "the daily rundown." i'm luke russert. two days after christmas and washington is back to work trying to harsh out a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. the senate will get back from the session after holiday break. the president is expected to arrive back to the white house without his family to get back to twork mework to meet the loo deadline. mike is at the white house. let's start with you. the consensus around the hill

. if this is video of the president leads in hawaii as he heads back to washington for work. house and senate members are expected to reconvene today as well. without a budget agreement, automatic tax increases for every one and deep spending cuts will be triggered in the new year. >> former president george h. w. bush is in intensive care a hospital this morning. mr. bush has been hospitalized there since last month and what is being described as a " stubborn fever ". a spokesman for his office said that the 88 year-old is on an all- liquid diet and has been and i see you since sunday. >> cleanup is underway in mobile, alabama this morning after its second tornado in a week. work crews cleared trees in a hard-hit neighborhoods yesterday. homes and businesses were damaged. a tornado with wind speeds up to 135 mi. per hour hit the city on christmas day. >> parts of upstate new york are seen a heavy snowfall. the national weather service has issued a winter storm warning until midday today. if there is also a forecast of a total of 8 to 12 in. of snow by tonight. for those traveling

up to their leaders to reach a deal. danielle leigh has more. >> as president obama leaves hawaii for washington, tension on capitol hill is on high. >> i don't see how you could handle a large plant involving tax reform in a matter of days. >> serious doubt is setting in. even starbucks is getting involved. john boehner said he is sitting this round out. >> i think that john boehner is being controlled unfortunately by the right wing pickwick that leaves it up to harry reid and the rest of the senate to find a solution. the plan would avoid tax increases and would eliminate some big spending cuts and restore unemployment benefits. >> you are likely to see a two- step process. >> without a deal, bush era tax cuts will expire on january 1. congress set up the deadline hoping it would force a compromise. so far that has a compromise in. also flyback will be brian schatz. he will be replacing daniel inouye and will likely be sworn in later today. danielle leigh, wbal-tv 11 news. >> with the new year comes new state laws. >> kim dacey has more on what to expect. >> on tuesday, a dozen

, thank you. president obama is cutting short his holiday in hawaii. he's flying back to washington tonight as the clock ticks toward the fiscal cliff. nancy cordes is with the president in honolulu. nancy? >> reporter: jim, the president is trading the sand for snowy washington. he'll be back in the nation's capital by mid-morning tomorrow, and most of the u.s. senate will be attempting to get back there by then, as well. but house leaders have not given their members the signal to return to washington and say they won't until the u.s. senate passes a bill to avert the fiscal cliff. as the president wrapped up his vacation, federal workers trickled back into the nation's capital. but the only people who can avert the fiscal cliff, members of the house and senate, have not returned, and, in just six days, a 2% payroll tax is set to expire, along with the bush era tax cuts, shrinking the average workers' paycheck in 2013 by about $1,500. long-term unemployment benefits for about two million jobless americans are also set to expire, and $110 billion worth of spending cuts to both dome

president obama. he took the red eye from hawaii to washington overnight. senators will be busy working on a plan to avoid the "fiscal cliff" today. but house gop leaders say they will not return to washington unless the senate passes a bill. with no deal on the horizon, a new poll finds the gop gets the biggest share of the blame for the stalemate. >> both sides here have a problem with the american people and it's why congress has 11% job approval rating. >> even starbucks is getting itchy for an agreement. its employees are writing "come together" on coffee cups to encourage compromise. >>> hawaii's democratic governor will replace daniel inoue to represent the state of hawaii in washington, d.c. inouye died of respiratory complications last week. on the day he died, the late senator wrote to the governor asking for representative colleen hanabusa to replay him. she made it to the final round of considerations but didn't win that nomination. >>> former president george h.w. bush is in intensive care at a houston hospital with a fever and lingering cough. mr. bush was admitted to the

his vacation in hawaii. he'll be joined on air force one, or he is joined on air force one right now -- they're in the air, actually -- by hawaii's lieutenant governor brian schatz, who is nominated to fill the senate seat left vacant following the death of senator daniel inouye. schatz is expected to be sworn in later this afternoon or this evening. >>> with the business of legislating stricter gun control, a "usa today"/gallup poll shows a split america. 58% of those polled want stronger gun laws, up 15% from october of last year, but when it comes to assault weapons, 44% of those polled support a federal ban, yet 51% oppose one, showing little movement over the last year. yesterday, philadelphia's mayor renewed calls for an assault weapons ban in the wake of the deadly shootings early monday that killed two firefighters in upstate new york. another teed off on comments made by the head of the nra, who told nbc's david gregory he favors armed guards at every school. >> i guess, you know, out of last week's bizarre press statement -- it wasn't a press conference -- i guess mr. lapie

washington today with president obama is hawaii's next senator. brian schatz is currently the lieutenant governor. he's due to be sworn in this afternoon about three hours from now. copd makes it hard to breathe, but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can be in the scene. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. with odor free aspercreme. powerful medicine re

them is a free convertible ride in hawaii. the executive from srt travel joins me right now. the great deals that are out there right now. starting with kids sail free on disney? tell us about that? >> these deals are almost free. a lot of them you have to buy a little something, but this offer is great. children under 17 can travel on disney. six to eight nights, you must have two adults that are also staying with the children. gerri: flying free to ski. can you tell us about that? >> you fly american airlines or united come yocan basically book a ski trip. for every four nights, every third airline ticket is free. you have to book by december 1. so you have to make a quick decision on that one. gerri: that is pretty darn good. and free flights to the promise? >> yes, with the bahamas, this is an interesting deal. once you get to nassau, once you get there, you can get free airfare. these are places that, you know, are very touristy. some people haven't even heard of them. the catch is you have to book a four night stay. gerri: i love that warm weather this time of year. now, th

. first lady michelle obama and their daughters will remain in hawaii. house and senate members are expected to reconvene thursday. without a budget agreement, automatic tax increases for everyone and deep spending cuts will be triggered in the new year. the main dispute continues to be over taxes. >> vicki: starbucks will publicly take a stand on the looming fiscal cliff. c-e-o howard schultz is asking workers at its 120 d-c-area stores to write "come together" on the coffee cups they serve on thursday and friday. he says it's a way to quote: "send our elected officials a respectful but potent message, urging them to come together to find common ground." both sides are due back by thursday and have vowed to make a final attempt. starbucks notes workers are not required to write the message on cups. >> 49ers sunday at candlestick with a chance to clinch the division title kron four's jason appelbaum joins me now with more. .jason the team's a little banged up right? >> manning's am >> vernon davis, manning >> . >> and justin smith at this kind of the big one, butthe injuries shouldn

. exclusively at verizon. >>> hawaii's governor naming lieutenant governor today. he had recommended u.s. rep in a letter sharply before he died. with six days before we go off the fiscal cliff. president is flying back to washington tonight unconcern what kind of deal making possibles he will find when we will come back. nor is it clear what kind of deal if any they are will are have to vote on. a lot of digging tonight for dcc's dana bash. >> how likely are we to see a vote and time to avoid going over the cliff? >> it is in part the reason why housep republicans didn't make a decision to bring the house back. at this point what they are trying to figure out is whether or not they can find enough republican ares to cross party lines for what the president proposed before he went to who why. focusing on what he campaigned on. it is a big ask to get ten sep at republicans to ask them to cross over. >> so what more do we know then. it is still being crafted and that is the dance that is being down. what do democrats have to put into this. is there anything that they can do? voting for the preside

in hawaii. >>> former president george h.w. bush is in intensive care at a hospital in houston. a fever that kept mr. bush in the hospital over christmas has apparently gotten worse. doctors have him on a liquid- only diet. a bush family spokesperson says the 88-year-old was alert, joking with doctors, but had yet to respond to fever- reducing medication. a bronchitis cough initially sent him to the hospital in november. >>> a cash payout coming to millions of toyota drivers. >>> right away, i thought, a card from an angel. >> lost and found. a thrift store discovery that managed to connect friends that were lost and found a new friend along the way. >>> costs go up to survive. we have to do it. >> and your next batch of shirts could cost a little more. the international trade dispute that has your dry cleaner wired for a surprise hike. >>> hi-def doppler is showing rain-free conditions throughout the bay area. mostly clear, chilly conditions. beautiful shot from our new oakland cam. i'll have your foreca,,,,,,,,,,, a class action lawsuit over unintended accel >>> toyota says it w

planning to go to hawaii for christmas with his family. speaker boehner has left town. gone back to ohio. for the holiday. the senate is expected to come back on, on december 27th, the thursday next week, which is the earlit that they would be expected to get back to work on this. melissa? melissa: peter, who's left? sounds like it is a ghost town there. sounds basically two guys that are still left working. >> yeah, i don't know if they will be here very much longer. but listen, realistically, it's the holiday season. a lot of members, the presidt, they all made plans, and after last night with speaker boehner, pulling his pl b, it doesn't look like, there are no signs of anyegotiations or any plans for any negotiations. it looks like everyone just wants to go, be with their families and spend the holiday time together before they try to hammer out a st minute deal on all of this. melissa: yeah, no kidding. of cours everybody wants to go home for the holidays but what you haven't done your work you haven't done your work. oh, well. what do we expect hear from the president now? sor

medal of honor winner daniel inouye, the senator from hawaii who was third in line to the presidency. >> ifill: and we close with the story of a message of hope and healing from the late fred rogers, in a 34-year-old photo that's gone viral. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productive life. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the white house had a new proposal on the table today in the fiscal cliff negotiations. house republicans said it fell well short, but the two sides kept at it, hoping to avert across-the-board tax hikes and steep mandatory spending cuts in 2013. >> we're moving closer. let me s

, the president returned to the white house early from his christmas break in hawaii. the senate also returned to session. house speaker john boehner says the house will be called to order sunday and warns lawmakers they may work through friday. ford is expanding in the great lakes state. the automaker will invest $773 million in additions to four of its michigan factories. ford says it'll create 2300 new jobs and may lead to a goal adding 12,000 new jobs across michigan by 2015. the star of the hit tv series "grey's anatomy" is attempting to buy a coffee chain. patrick dempsey, better known as mcdreamy on "grey's," is said to be bidding on tully's coffee shop, which filed for chapter 11 banruptcy back in october due to a cash flow issue. it goes up for auction next week. tully's started up in 1992 in seattle and has multiple stores in washington and california along with nearly licensed locations across the country. the actor says he's stepping up to buy the chain to save jobs in the seattle area. five infant deaths have caused major retailers to recall a popular infant recliner

to negotiate. president obama left hawaii early this morning, expected to land in washington next hour. senators will also be back, trying to craft a bill. we expect to hearing from him on the floor in moments. the house is still home. they'll hold a conference call with members today. to make matters worse, you say oh by the way, you'll hit the debt ceiling on monday. we also have ryan grimm. yeah, you. there you are. >>> it looks like they're pointing -- >> and politicians, and so what we're sealing is -- for deficit reduction. and spend seg cuts off their shoulders, and make it inevitable, saying, you know what? it didn't just happen to them. they pass the sequester, which contained severe, rapid definite at this time reduction. it was almost inevitable, almost the moment they passed the sequester. >> to you, ryan, i was alluding to how both sides are saying different things. two members of the house said this last hour. we had one democrat and one republican. take a listen. >> i think there's still a chance to get something done. that's what happened in the budget deal, i thin

report. hawaii's governor naming a successor to late senator inouye. he had recommended u.s. rep in a letter sharply before he died. with six days before we go off the fiscal cliff, president obama is cutting his hawaii vacation short, flying back to washington, uncertain what kind of deal making possibilities he will find when we will come back. republican leaders made no decision about when to call their members back nor it is clear what kind of deal, if any, they will have to vote on. a lot of digging tonight for cnn's dana bash. i understand there were no decisions out of this call, but do we have any sense of what fellow. >> rob:s are telling speaker boehner? how likely are we to see a vote in time to avoid going of the cliff? >> it really is up in the air. i'm told in part that's why house. >> rob:s didn't make a decision to bring the house back or when to do it because the ball really is in the senate's court, specifically with senate democrats. that has changed big time since a few weeks ago. at this point what they are trying to figure out is whether or not they can find en

the president is cutting his holiday vacation in hawaii short to return to d.c. to work on a deal to try to stop those automatic tax hikes and deep spending cuts from kicking in on january 1st. and if they don't reach a deal before then, many economists say we will dip back into a recession. i had henly house republican leaders didn't have a lot of new information for their lawmakers. they would have 48 hour notice if they are needed to pray back to washington from various districts around the country. that tells us they are being noncommittal at this point because they frankly do not know whether or not there will be a deal to avert the fiscal cliff. now, after that conference call. the house speaker john boehner, his number two eric cantor the majority leader put out a statement putting the onus on president obama and for the reason why there has not been a deal so far. basically saying they can't move forward in the house without some sort of action in the senate the next few days. what they left out of that, unfortunately, is the reason why they are waiting on the senate to do so

going to be well represented for the pro bowl in hawaii. the ravens are going to send six players being rice, yanda, leach, ngata, reed and jacoby jones. only three other teams in the league are sending more players to the pro bowl and when you see that list of teams, san francisco, houston and new england, yeah they're all pretty good too. >>> well ray lewis is officially back on the active roster for baltimore. no need to get excited just yet. that doesn't mean you will see him play sunday against the bengals. move is really more procedural and it makes lewis eligible to play in the postseason. the ravens already clinched the afc's northern division title. >>> and this morning they are still cleaning up from a tornado that hit back on christmas day. >> it hit mobile, alabama and the whole thing caught on camera. pretty incredible from a walgreens store and it shows the twister from two different angles. you can see sparks from the power lines and transformers and the twister moves two vehicles arnold. themes were back to normal on wednesday at the store except the doors were still boa

baltimore. uncle earnie? waaay out in hawaii. but don't you worry, we will always be together for christmas. [ male announcer ] being together is the best part of the holidays and cheerios is happy to be part of the family. you just ate dallas! >>> in connecticut today funerals took place for two 6-year-old victims of the sandy hook elementary school massacre, now, we're learn morgue about the killer from a former friend. ways freshman where lanza was a sophomore, both members of the tech club. >> very intelligent person. just like the way he acted around other people was just very with draub drawn, and just quiet. he had a nerd look. like you know khaki pants, belt, tucked in shirt. he had little computer hit. -- kit like a brief case instead of a backpack and a pocket protector. at one point he was a good kid. the event he did that day, may have been evil. before then, he -- he was just another kid. >> he says he lost touch when lanza left high school for home schooling. >> officials in texas including the governor, rick pee$ prevent school shootings. governor perry says knee je

memorial service for the late hawaii senator daniel enoway. he was the first japanese american elected to congress. he spent 50 years in washington serving the people of hawaii. he died last week. he was 8 8. >>> this morning an investigation is underway after a baltimore county police officer opens fire, killing a man who they say was pointing a knife at him. mike schuh is live with more on what happened. good morning, mike. >> reporter: good morning. county police say that their officer stopped a man behind this gas station and what happened next is up for investigation. >> the officer on routine patrol passes this shell station around 3:45 in the morning. behind the building a suspicious man. police say when the officer asked the man to come out he pulled a knife. >> the officer did attempt to use a tauzer -- a taser but it was ineffective. the man continued at the officer still has the knife and refused repeated commands to drop the knife. >> fearing for his safety the officer shot the man in the chest. 36-year-old gregory stegall dies at the scene. >> you have to be crazy to go to

arrives back in washington after cutting short his christmas vacation in hawaii. congress is back in town, but little progress was made over the holiday to avoid the fiscal cliff and no talks have been set. the senate is due in session today, but the house has no plans to reconvene. last week, house speaker john boehner said it was up to the house to act on extending unemployment benefits. as we work through all of this, we are happy to be joined by allen capper, head of credit strategy at lloyd's for the hour. welcome back. i guess we're still shaking off the christmas turkey tryptophan, i guess they call it, and yet it feels as though it's groundhog's day. >> yes. you say shaking off the christmas blues and we're shaking still waiting to hear what happened with this fiscal cliff. we knew they would take it to the wire. there's no surprises. what concerns me, this may stretch on until january. now, this is not the first time we've been in a situation like this in my career in the markets. the opportunity is clearly markets may sell off and then an accord has to be reached. i guess a

catastrophic cliff, the president will leave hawaii tonight to try to work on a bargain between democrats and republicans. brianna keilar is traveling with the president in hawaii and joins us now. good morning, brianna. did the president cut his vacation short or was it planned all along? >> reporter: he did cut his vacation short from what was initially planned which was to go through the new year, so yes, he cut it short. i think we have a sense he might be heading back to d.c., carol, you'll recall when talks fell apart last week between house speaker john boehner and the president as the president departed for hawaii he talked to reporters in the briefing room and he said "see you next week" so i think we had a sense he would be coming back earlier than initially planned and it was just a matter of when, not if, and he'll be heading back tonight, that's local time so he'll be traveling overnight, it's quite a long flight, nine or ten hours and he'll be back in d.c. by thursday late morning. >> any behind the scene talks over the holiday? >> reporter: right now the white hou

hawaii and will arrive in washington early tomorrow to deal with the tax increases and spending cuts that are due to take effect next week. no official fiscal cliff negotiations between republicans and democrats have been scheduled. not a great deal of progress. >>> with the government right on the edge now of that fiscal cliff, taxpayers are facing a lot of uncertainty as we head into the new year and for many of us the usual year-end financial strategies simply may not apply this year. 7 on your side's michael finney sorts out some of the confusion. >> reporter: when it comes to year end finances the old rules may not add up this year. >> it is difficult to do any type of tax planning and advising because nobody really knows exactly what is going to happen. >> much of the uncertainty centers around whether the united states is about to fall off that a fiscal cliff. if that happens, that would mean the end of the temporary payroll tax cuts. even if that doesn't happen, most believe taxes will go up next year. >> one of the things that is being floated right now is people are advisin

hawaii overnight to work on the plan to avoid the "fiscal cliff." cbs reporter tara mergener says congress remains gridlocked and fewer americans expect any progress before the new year. >>> reporter: senators and staffers will be filling these empty hallways today trying to work out a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff." higher taxes will give the average american about $1,500 less to spend next year. and economists believe the $110 billion spending cuts will result in more layoffs. senator harry reid has a plan to keep taxes low for everyone making less than $250,000 a year as well as short term spending cuts until a bigger dooley can be reached. >> it is going to be a patch because in four days we can't solve everything. >> reporter: while senators try to brave the bad weather that has hit many parts of the country, in order to make it back here to washington, house leaders say they will not leave home unless the senate passes its bill first. >> good morning? >> reporter: house republicans scuttled the proposal from speaker john boehner last week and 48% of americans say they are

president took a red eye flight back from hawaii. why did congress and the president go on raication at all. >> yeah, we all go to work. >> there is nothing on the table . kelley. >> a lot of people feel they are left in the lurch by the president and congress. and they didn't get the job done . here's what we are facing. we are teetering on the edge of the fiscal cliff. there are many members in congress who disaagree raising of tax. the president had gone up to $400,000 when house speaker boehner would raise the tax hikes . but the sticking point is enments and spending. >> clayton: the republicans saying that the president and democrats not forth coming enough on entitlements. here's what will unfold in a few short days as we break this down to you. >> put your seat belts on, people. >> clayton: tax rates will hit these numbers and you go up to 120,000 . you will see 31 percent up to 36 percent . in these tax rates as they climb up. >> here's the bottom line. average tax rate of 2,000 to $4000. it is an additional 13,944 . millionaire's status which the president wanted to raise stat

congressional leaders before leaving hawaii for washington, and the senate is reconvening today. now the automatic spending cuts and the tax increases that make up the fiscal cliff, they're set to take effect in just five days. much more on the fiscal cliff crisis, the effort to reach some kind of agreement later this hour. we're going go live to capitol hill for the latest as the senate returns to work. that is coming up in about 20 minutes. >>> and president obama's going to have another cabinet position to fill for the new year. we learned a short time ago apa lisa jackson is stepping down after the president's state of the union speech in january. jackson starting with the agency as a staff level scientist back in 1987. during her tenure as administrator she tackled pollution problems in poor community communities. oil drilling and coal regulations. all those things on her plate. jackson said she is confident epa is headed in the right direction. >>> winter storm causing some real headaches. millions of folks in the mid-atlantic states, we're looking at heavy snow, torrential rain, s

president is on air force one going back to washington. he shook hands before leaving his vacation in hawaii. he has important talks scheduled to avert the fiscal cliff. >>> as we showed you, the senate is back in session. they are hoping to strike a deal and avoid the fiscal cliff. we are in washington where some republicans are pessimistic an agreement can be reached. >> reporter: the senate majority leader is on the floor right now. we will take a live look at the capitol. he is trying to get republican support for the latest democratic plan. they got back to work about 15 minutes ago and are considering the president's offer to raise taxes on households making $400,000 or more a year. even if it passes the senate he is concerned about the house where he will need about 30 republicans to cross party lines. the house speaker said he is not making members of the house come back from their break without a 48 hour notice on a vote. in the last -- >> american people i don't think understand the house is operating without the house of house. its being operated with a dictatorship of the speaker

the fiscal cliff. happy new year. here's what you might have missed. president obama left hawaii early to get back to washington today. the senate is also coming back from christmas vacation today to work on a deal. now, sources tell us majority leader harry reid will push a scaled-back version of the fiscal cliff package that president obama laid out on friday, which moved the tax hike needle to $400,000. no word yet on when the house of representatives might come back, but democrats say the only hope we have of something getting through the house, the senate and the white house may be a very last-minute deal. cnn radio's lisa is following developments on capitol hill right now. the ball is in senate majority leader harry reid's court it would seem right now, lisa. >> that's right. harry reid and the senate seem to be the only game in town right now with the senate returning today. we also know from sources, ali, that over this christmas break there were no conversations between the president and top-level republicans. sources from both parties are telling us they are watching the sen

hawaii. he is heading back to washington from his family vacation. we learned from the white house that the president had made calls to the top four congressional leaders mcconnell and boehner on the republican side, pelosi and reid on the democratic side. we'll see what the president has in mind when he touches down back in washington a little later this morning, harris. harris: mike you mentioned it. i'm mentioning it too. it is coming into the newsroom from senator mcconnell's spokesperson and just wondering what the republicans say they want. they want to review legislation and make decisions how best to proceed. they're waiting for now the white house to make the next move. >> reporter: there is definitely a game of chicken going on where the senate democrats are saying, well we need to know from mcconnell what he is willing to do. mcconnell is saying i will not rubberstamp a plan i haven't seen so you need to lay out a plan. we know from speaker boehner's spokesman he is in ohio. he will let us know if he is coming back to washington. we expect there will be a conference call